Category: Prohibition

I. Background. The Prohibition Party of the United States began in 1869. Before the Civil War (1861-1865) temperance groups had promoted voluntary abstinence from alcoholic beverages. The  War diverted national attention to more pressing matters. Subsequently, the temperance movement wayned. Moral suasion had proved to be both difficult and frustrating. So after the War, temperance […]

I. Wilbur F. Crafts. Self-styled “Christian lobbyist” Wilbur F. Crafts formed the International Reform Bureau in 1895. He led it for 28 years until his death in 1922. Best known as a prohibition leader, Crafts also opposed movies and promoted their heavy censorship by government. The motion picture industry feared his Reform Bureau. It responded […]

Also, oThere are a number of events in temperance and prohibition history around the world. This is a calender of days for January through December. Typically, one event is listed for each day of the year. There are many thousands of events. Therefore, this is only a partial list from the many events in temperance history. […]

Many people have heard of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). But virtually no one has heard of the Non-partisan Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (NWCTU). The WCTU was formed in 1874. Within five years it had established over 1,000 local units or “unions.” It continued to grow during National Prohibition (1920-1933). Its peak membership was […]

Background Before looking at Prohibition trivia, here’s some background. Millions of Americans supported federal Prohibition. By the time it began in 1920, over half the population lived in states or counties that were already“dry.” Prohibitionists thought that most of the problems in the country were caused by drinking alcohol. This included poverty, crime, child neglect, […]

Repeal trivia is fun. But before we get to the trivia, here’s a little background. Background By 1900, millions of people in the U.S. believed that drinking alcohol was a national tragedy. They thought alcohol was the cause of unemployment, poverty, crime, and divorce. Of poor health, insanity, violence, immorality, child neglect, and other problems. […]

Taxes and Prohibition of alcohol were related. But ironically, so were taxes and Repeal. Here’s what happened. The Story. There were two major sources of federal government revenue for much of U.S. history. One was customs duties on imported products. The other was taxes on alcoholic beverages. About 30 to 40% of the government’s revenue came […]

Dry counties are those that forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages in some form. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States. And about 18,000,000 people live in the roughly 10% of the area of the US that is dry. The U.S. repealed National Prohibition in 1933. However, a large proportion of the population continued to […]

Prohibition era dry laws in New York State fluctuated frequently. Some were strongly supportive of Prohibition. Others were not. This is the story of dry laws in New York during National Prohibition. Alfred E. Smith Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York was a strong advocate of states’ rights and individual freedoms. He pressed the […]

The official guidelines for alcohol drinking are confusing. The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has defined moderate drinking. For men, it’s no more than four drinks on any day. The maximum is 14 per week. For women, it’s no more than three on any day. The maximum is seven per week. However, […]